Around this time, people are getting excited for the Holidays. Lights are going up, the shops have all their decorations in place, malls are filling up with people buying gifts.
Not so much this year. For now, it’s stay home as much as you can. So much for ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.’
But maybe, just maybe, this can be the best Christmas ever. Maybe this is the year when we come to realize it’s the people around us that matter more than the gifts, the parties, the hustle and bustle of busy streets and last minute shoppers.
In a way, we are forced into that scenario. We are already being told not to have anyone outside of your household over for Christmas. That’s the plan right now, as COVIDS rages in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and the Prairies. With any luck, we’ll be in a better situation after our current restrictions kick in, and St. Bonnie will let me have my Mum and sister over for dinner on Christmas so that they aren’t alone. My nephew and his kids can have Christmas on their own, this time.
Try telling a kid, especially a young child, that Santa might not make it. For many families, that’s a cold reality every year. This year, it’s an even deeper problem. Usually, that’s where the Toy Depot kicks in, with all those donations coming in for struggling families to choose from. This year, it can’t happen that way. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Deltassist won’t be running the Toy Depot or handing out Christmas Food Hampers, instead they are accepting donations and passing along gift cards for people who have been hit hard by the pandemic to at least have a special day with their family on Christmas. More people will need help this year, more than ever before. When you need a hand, your community is there to lend it.
All the information on making donations to the Christmas Bureau on Deltassist’s website, as well as how to register for the program if you need a hand this year.
And if you do need a hand, don’t be ashamed. What you are doing by accepting the help you could use is giving a gift to someone that has the means to give that help. Their donation comes with the feeling of knowing they made someone’s life a little better for that one day. You can give them that gift.
Because this year, a year like we have never seen before and hope never to experience again, the greatest gift doesn’t come wrapped in a bow. It comes from the heart.
Brad Sherwin, MBA is a long-time resident of South Delta, and has over 30 years’ experience in marketing, public relations and business strategy. He teaches Marketing at Douglas College, coaches hockey goalies and is Past President of Deltassist.
